You Ask, We Answer: What's the Point of the Eco Rally?

In our recent look at Honda's digital marketing for the just-released 2011 CR-Z, we mentioned Honda UK's collaboration with Future Shorts to offer a grant to an up-and-coming director.

The resulting short film, by winning director Tom Haines, profiled Future Shorts founder Fabien Riggall's participation in the Brighton-to-London Eco Rally. Riggall drove Honda's new CR-Z hybrid in the event; he's also a "cultural engineer" in Honda's Dream Factory project to promote the CR-Z, which is Honda's first hybrid vehicle.

A comment posted by @creativefeed wanted to know more: "What was the point of the rally? How do people qualify to win? Is it just point A to B? Is fuel efficiency a factor in the winner? If this video is attempting to capture a niche audience (hybrid sports-car buyers), I feel like they could have made the video more about the car and performance and fuel consumption, and not just one giant montage and time-lapse rally race."

Artistic considerations aside, here's what we found out.Continue reading...